Hall of Famer

NICK WESLOCK

Inducted in 1971

Member Details

Career Highlights

1947-1970

Eleven times Canadian Open low amateur score titles

1957-1966

Four Canadian Amateur Golf titles

1973-1982

Four Canadian Senior titles

Story

Canadian golfing champion Ada Mackenzie once said: "Some people are old at forty, but others are not at eighty." Nick Weslock was the latter breed of individual. One of Canada's all-time greatest amateur golfer's, Weslock was still beating the pros well into his fifties and could still be found swinging a club well past his eighth decade. In fact, his amateur record was so superb and his stamina so formidable that the senior golfing community shuddered when he became eligible to compete in seniors championships. Using a set of borrowed golf clubs, Weslock won his first title at a Southern Ontario Amateur tournament in 1939 at the age of 21. Over the next three decades, he won eight Ontario and four Canadian amateur titles, and was eleven times the low amateur scorer at the Canadian Open. Weslock considered his greatest accomplishment to be his seven victories at Ontario Open. As he told Golf Canada in 2000: "Being an amateur and beating all the top pros seven times was really something. It gave me a lot of satisfaction." Weslock represented Canada numerous times on World Cup, America's Cup, and Commonwealth teams. He was a member of the Ontario Willingdon Cup team an incredible 25 times and received four invitations to participate in the U.S. Masters tournament. Showing a keen interest in the intricacies of golfing technique, Weslock once said, "You can't play this game just on natural swing ability. You've got to think about it and put everything in place." He always carried a "little black book" in which to compile technical advice he received from the many great players he met on the course. Weslock eventually shared his treasure trove of tips with the world, publishing Your Golf Bag Pro: Nick Weslock's Little Black Book of Key Golf Secrets in 1985. He also filmed major tournaments in order to carefully analyze the swing patterns of the pros, collecting more than 7,000 feet of edited footage over the years. In 1968, it appeared as though Weslock's career was over. A gall bladder ailment, which nearly took his life, as well as a serious hernia operation, cast a dark shadow on his athletic future. A physical conditioning program and a rigid diet, however, soon launched him back into competition, and, between 1969 and 1970, he won two Ontario Amateur titles, two Ontario Seniors titles, and one Ontario Open title. In this last tournament, he dazzled spectators with a final 22-foot putt to secure a one-stroke victory. As his pro victim Phil Giroux said, "I didn't know Superman was over here today." Weslock proved his superhuman skills once more in 1973 when, just a few months after undergoing hip replacement surgery, he was back on the course swinging 12 under par. He continued to play well into his eighties, claiming eleven Ontario and four Canadian Senior titles. According to Weslock, it was his love for the sport that was the key to his success: "I'm convinced you have to have an affinity for the game. That's what made us winners, and that's why we'll never stop playing." An engineer by profession, Weslock never left golf's amateur ranks, but despite having to balance both business and sporting careers, his accomplishments were plentiful and his competitive results outstanding. For his superb record on the course, he was inducted into the Royal Canadian Golf Association Hall of Fame in 1972.